


Episode 30: An Exchange

by PitoyaPTx



Series: Clan Meso'a [30]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clan Ordo, Duxn, Gen, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture, Mandalorian Food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 19:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20431517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitoyaPTx/pseuds/PitoyaPTx
Summary: "Don't make me regret this." ~JiikAn exchange of information Beon has been waiting for might be closer than he thinks, but with Jiik there is always a catch.





	Episode 30: An Exchange

“I tried to contact you when he died.”   
Beon glanced to his right.   
“Hm?”  
“Hugh Wiltso, Cara’s father. I knew they killed him. Tried to contact you but the message never made it.”  
“Must have been some interference,” Beon shrugged, returning to the bubbling pan.   
Jiik snorted, “I know jamming tech better than you think.”   
“She was scared.”  
“I don’t blame her.”  
“Why are you telling me this now?”   
Jiik looked him up and down. He was sitting on the other side of the counter holding an ice pack to his missing montril. The harsh lines of his face softened by the chronic pain Beon knew was driving the information out of him.   
“Take this,” Beon said, straining the leftover sauce from the pan into a large mug, “I put a few extra grounds in it. Should help with the swelling.”  
Jiik took the mug and raised it to him before gulping most of it down.   
“Didn’t add as much wine.”   
“I can taste that,” said Jiik.   
Neither spoke for a moment as Beon ate and Jiik sipped slowly on the remainder of the spiced mixture. Placing his plate in the sink sounded a lot louder to Beon with Jiik sitting silently across from him. The Togruta sat forward, setting the ice pack down on the counter and resting his chin on his laced fingers.   
“You remember my daughter?”   
“Nat?”  
Jiik nodded.   
“In name only,” Beon crossed his arms and leaned back against the sink, “She’s a lot older than me.”   
“Well now and then I think about her, what I could have done to keep her here, and I see that in you whenever you come up to the comm tower.”   
“You’re still looking for her.”  
“Every day.”   
Beon nodded absenttly, nibbling the inner corner of his lip, “So you feel guilty? Sure it’s not just the weather?”  
Jiik scowled, “You want me to level with you or are you going to be a smartass?”  
Beon put up his hands, “I’m just saying you’ve been chewing me out all month and suddenly you’re leveling. Forgive me if that takes me off guard.”   
Jiik continued to scowl, but curiously his features began to soften. Beon watched him, slide the mug across the counter and rub his eyes with a yawn.   
“You’re right,” he said as if the words caused him great pain, “And I’m the last person who should be judging you for-”  
“Can I get that on a holo?” Beon chuckled, relaxing his arms a little.   
“Just shut up, will ya? I’m serious,” Jiik stood, “You and Fent were a pain to look after and a pain to deal with as adults. I can’t hit you over the head and not expect a flare to be shot at me.”  
“A what?”  
“You’ll find out later, the point is,” he continued, “Chellin has an assignment that needs getting done and I recommended you lot. It’s a scavenging run to a shipwreck on the edge of Republic territory near Coruscant.”  
“That’s not the edge of their territory.”  
“Well it’s a close as we’re allowed to get right now, so yeah it’s the edge. I’ll give you more details once I have you all together, but you do this right,” he emphasized ‘right’, “I’ll look into that pectoral you found. Deal?”   
Beon raised an eyebrow, “Why? What’s so special about this wreck.”   
“Chellin heard Deathwatch got a hold of it first, says he wants to know what they were after.”   
“He’s not taking sides yet is he?”  
Jiik scoffed, “He fought with me in the war. Of course he’s taking sides.”   
“So we’re allying with Satine?”  
“I didn’t say that.”   
“Then what are we doing?”  
“Do this job, report back to me, and then you’ll find out.”   
Jiik turned back towards the door leading out into the hallway between the mess hall and the hangars.   
“You know you’re just as difficult to deal with!” Beon called after him. 

“Seriously?” Fent and Beun said at the same time.   
“He’s going to help you?” said Teika.   
“When has he ever done that?” scoffed Lyse.   
“It’s been a while since we’ve all gone on a mission,” said No’gan, the only one feeling the slightest bit positive.   
“You sure he’s telling the truth?” asked Teika, trying to interpret Beon's expression.   
“I don’t know, I mean, I've never seen anything like it before,” he shrugged, “maybe Jiik has?”  
The others nodded slowly, all of them dealing with their own thoughts about the news.   
“Guess we wait and see?” No'gan offered, “I mean he doesn’t seem like the type who’d lie like that.”   
Beun hummed affirmatively, “He’s just-”  
“Jiik,” Fent muttered darkly, “His way of helping lately hasn’t been all that helpful.”  
Lyse made an amused sort of grunt, “I mean he trained you two and you turned out alright.”   
“That was before his daughter disappeared,” Beon said and a hush fell across his companions, “He brought her up in our conversation,” he added, aware that Beun was looking at him.   
No one said anything, however Goldie sneezed into No’gan’s ear as he slithered up from his lap onto his shoulders.   
“Haar’chak!” No’gan swore, breaking up the heaviness resting between them.   
Teika chuckled awkwardly into his knuckles and Lyse cracked a slight smile.   
“Com tower first thing in the morning?” asked Beun, getting up and beckoning Fent to follow.   
“Yeah,” said Lyse with a yawn.   
“Sure thing,” said No’gan.   
“Should be fun,” said Teika.   
Beon nodded but said nothing, leg bouncing and eyes studying something invisible. Beun and Fent lingered for a moment, waiting in case he wanted to talk, but it didn’t seem he was aware of them anymore.


End file.
